comp99 | ExpatWoman.com
 

comp99

comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2016 - 18:48
Hello, Can anyone advise a place that handles root canals and the average cost they faced? Perhaps even an endodontist? Thank you in advance for your advice ladies. Dr Madhu .. mankhool dental center. He is an endodontist . Very reasonable price wise and very nice.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2016 - 16:00
Depends on what year group. JAPS is new for year 7 and has introduced a seat fee. For that year, I'd go Wellington. Especially because there is no guarantee that JAPS new campus will be finished - and it's guaranteed to have on-going construction regardless. Has anyone seen how much progress has been made? OP's son has been offered space in year 1.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2016 - 15:58
Don't know what you mean by private but kids first center and rashid pediatric therapy center can do a one off assessment for your child. Based on the outcome you can choose to continue with them for therapy or go else where. There are many others centers offering this service but I have experience with only these two. Personally I won't go with any freeLancer here as I have come across some unqualified ones and would rather go with an established center. They are expensive no doubt but better option if you find a good therapist through word of mouth.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2016 - 07:28
JAPS with a brand new campus would be a bonus. Right now it's current tired old campus is not doing it any justice. Go for JAPS.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 March 2016 - 15:38
Thanks for replying. I'll have a look but not too hopeful. Let's see
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 March 2016 - 15:29
We always go to Dr Annie at mediclinic ibn battuta. She's thorough and good with kids but I don't know if she is a pediatric specialist since she sees kids and grown ups. We have only seen her for yearly regular check ups, nothing complicated.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 March 2016 - 15:25
Another vote for la parilla and pier chic.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 February 2016 - 14:27
We have been going to funcity ibn battuta for years for haircut for kids. The saloon is inside the funcity and charge 35 dhs for hair cut (both boys and girls). You cannot just turn up as they are busy. Ring up for an appointment first
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 February 2016 - 12:17
Have a look at rixos bab al bahr also in Rak. It was nice when we stayed their last time ans the all-inclusive concept was a bonus.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 February 2016 - 14:16
Do buy a humidity meter to monitor humidity in different areas of home. If it stays above 70 % should be investing in a dehumidifier. Mold is problem here in cooler months in some areas when you switch off ac and open windows and also in summer months in some buildings when humidity increases outside and the ac is not good enough to cope with it and let's it in. You should get a deep clean but if humidity is an issue in your house mold would come back.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 February 2016 - 14:09
I store them in fridge with rest of veggies and they have never sprouted. Only thing I store outside fridge is onion and garlic. I don't think any thing else can stay ok outside fridge over here. Try it.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 27 February 2016 - 23:30
You can donate books to the old library in moe. (They can't take magazine) Or donate all to rashid pediatric therapy center near lulu in barsha.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 17:39
It's a different and conservative country. Summer would be already there in april although not as bad as June. Traffic would be a challenge. You'll need some time adjusting to how things are done in kuwait. Arrive with an open mind and loads of patience.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 February 2016 - 17:10
Non-oil economy is need of the hour. Mobile camera click me on 82km on a 80 km road. Greace of 19km was not there? Mobile cameras are clicking on the exact speed limit. No grace what so ever and they are using them on a lot of smaller roads as per a taxi driver.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 23:10
On Saturday, I got a ticket - apparently for going 160 km/hr on Al Khail road. I have never gone more than 120 on Al Khail and never in my life driven 160. I don't even know if my car goes that fast! No way to fight it. 4000+ dirhams. Is that not a tax? Speeding ticket by a speed camera in dubai usually have a picture attached to the fine also. Were you able to see it online to verify it?
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 17:45
Thanks Siennachick and AdventurerB. You are giving me a big reason to move. Free education. I am sick and tired of paying a fortune of my earnings for my kid's pre-school here. Is the free education really good? Do kids really outscore in IB diploma level from these schools? Comp99, are you potentially moving to Oz? Did you manage to find a job from Dubai? hi syl123, yes we managed to secure a job from here. we planned to move to Adelaide initially but due to no job response from there we are now moving to Melbourne. it is possible to get a job from here but i feel the prospective employers get put off by all the extra work they need to do for an overseas candidate, plus they can't see you face to face and also the 2 month notice period which is a norm in most companies in dubai. compared to this, they can get a local candidate in 1 months time and they can meet the candidate face to face before making up their mind. there is a possibility of finding work in australia from here..if you are experienced enough, bringing something new to the table and your job is in demand in the area you plan to move to. keep applying through seek.com.au and if you do get an interview , always stress on why you NEED to make the move and are really serious about the job. as they know that you are probably earning more than they can offer with tax and all. best of luck
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 February 2016 - 17:14
Hi indieOz any thoughts on Surrey hills suburb? in terms of convenience for grocery, parks and safety? catching the peak hour train from a mid-way station like surrey hills mean you stay standing for the entire way to southern cross? we are looking at this suburb due to shorter travel time to southern cross and proximity to box hill hospital. is it a good hospital for maternity and other emergencies? any comments on the nearby primary schools? (surrey hills primary school and chatham primary school) thanks
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 February 2016 - 11:27
we dropped our guests for a week day evening flight 2 weeks ago and that was the only flight leaving at that time! airport was very empty. departure area parking is not paid yet! and lots of empty slots. the only minus point ..the un-ending slow speed road to the airport. other than that great airport to fly out of if you are tired of queues at DXB international.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 February 2016 - 21:01
Detailed Khda report always mentions primary and secondary performance separately of the school so you can go through that of your preferred school. If location is convenient , horizon international umm sheif have excellent reputation for foundaiton and primary.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 February 2016 - 14:41
Didn't mean to scare you. There is still a lot of role play, painting and free flow activities. I only mentioned the academic part of it for your reference for the assessment. Your daughter is quite young. My son is 5 at the moment and would be 5 and half by the time he finishes fs2 so I think the learning is quite age appropriate and he is not struggling. The writing part of it all(sentences and numbers) is not very formal at this stage and they are encouraged to attempt it but not expected to master it by the year end. So for a year 1 assessment you should not be stressed about it as my little one is not keen about writint and his teacher is fine with it.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2016 - 20:16
Would she be starting year 1 in Sept or joining a school in year 1 mid year? My younger one is in fs2 in a uk school and is learning to blend sounds to form words. They are learning numbers and learning to write them correctly until 20. Also a bit of addition by counting objects. By the end of the school year they are expected to read sentences with frequent words in them in an Oxford tree book. Don't know which uk school you are applying to but the expectations could be a bit high depending on the school.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2016 - 20:03
We have three communal pools near in our area and all are useless in cooler months and like a sauna in day time during mid summer. Ofcourse, the management doesn't care about the heating/cooling but the lifeguard is always on duty near the deserted pool :lol:
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2016 - 19:58
i just called them - he couldn't give me a price for a major service and seemed to be plucking figures out of thin air - and were more expensive than Toyota..... was really quite shocked by that telephone conversation. Woah! That's quite unexpected. Did you talk to Ronnie ? He is the main guy there. We have another Toyota (a saloon car) which we maintain with al futtaim and at every service they try to bill us 7-8k extra for imaginary repairs needed to the car but never faced such issue at zdegree so I am quite surprised if he came across as expensive than al futtaim. Hope you find a good garage for your car.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 February 2016 - 10:05
Thanks for this helpful thread. I have already mailed you regarding our possible move to Melbourne. hope to get in touch with you.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 22:32
I would also recommend a watch. You'll have loads of choices as per your budget and can be personalized easily. Much more useful and long lasting than a pen.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 22:29
I have only used the main dealer of singer for my singer machine and he repaired it very well. Would recommend him but I don't know if they accept any other machine than singer . You can call and find out. You should be able to Google the number.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 22:25
I'll be very honest about what we felt about living in Dubai and share my thoughts. These are my personal views and perhaps not many would agree with them, which is fine. To each his own. Our ideas of a good lifestyle could be very different. If by lifestyle you mean being able to achieve purely materialistic pleasures - frequenting gazillion malls and buying designer stuff or whatever you want because you can afford paying silly prices, brunches in fancy restaurants, driving 4x4s/Mercs/BMWs, travelling and staying in 5 star hotels on holidays, being a social butterfly etc etc then by all means Dubai is the place for you. This lifestyle is fickle and is to be enjoyed as long as you have that income to support it. But don't live under the delusion that Dubai is your permanent home. There is nothing remotely permanent about Dubai. You're there as long as you have a visa (through employment or the 2 year renewable property visa) and can afford to live there. Lose one of them and you have to move on. Dubai could never ever be home (in the true sense) to us as expatriates whatever you may like to think. So if you're living in Dubai on a high income and solely to live the above lifestyle with no focus on saving money to secure a comfortable future then you're doing wrong imho. Pure and simple. For us Dubai was just a place to save a ton of money and get the **** out thereafter. It took us 15 years to achieve our dreams when we finally left Dubai (for Melbourne). Our income now is a fraction (and I mean a tiny one at that as I stopped working at 42!) of what it used to be in Dubai. But our lifestyle now is unimaginably better in every respect than it ever was in Dubai. We are SAHP (parents), hubby works from home. We would need an income of over a million dirhams just to live in a similar type of house/suburb and pay for my children's education. So if I were you, I would continue living in Dubai/AD (you're both young and earning a high income) and SAVE like crazy, at least 50-60% of your income. Save enough to be able to buy a nice house and live mortgage free with a modest income to supplement your employment income and having done that move to UK/Australia/NZ/Canada or wherever you can get a permanent visa and a passport. Would it be possible to get in touch with you via email? We are considering a job offer in melbourne at the moment and it would be great to get in touch with some one already living there to help with the research regarding cost of living, suburbs , schools etc Many thanks.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 21:45
We use zdegree garage in al quoz for servicing our Prado. Guy running the garage is ex-Toyota employee and uses genuine parts from there but the labour is much cheaper. Very nice and reliable service and no extras suggested unless absolutely needed, very unlike Toyota.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 15:25
I would like to find out too. Quite surprisingly these chain restaurant are not able to tell you specifically. I have similar experience at dominoes. . Where I asked the staff what is the meat in the Italian sausages mentioned in some of their pizza flavors and he was not able to tell me the name. He did not know it was chicken or beef or whatever! He kept repeating that they are Italian sausages like that would mean something!? Needless to say, I don't go to dominoes or only eat their veg pizza!
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 February 2016 - 15:18
Why you are not looking on dubizzle.com? If second hand car is what you are looking for.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2016 - 16:24
Private healthcare is good. Lots of choices. American hospital is at the expensive end of private hospitals and there are many other choices. If your maternity is covered, you don't have anything to worry about. Once you are settled, narrow down your doctor nearest to you. expat woman past threads would help you out with that. Water birth is also an option here now. Things have definitely changed in the last 8 years.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 February 2016 - 14:44
I have no maid problems at all cause I do everything myself here in Melbourne. Cooking, cleaning, sweeping, mopping, gardening and what have you... :-D No more than 2 hours a day. You should try it ;-) And I love gardening, so can spend up to 3 hours somteimes, pottering in my garden. The best solution :cool:
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 February 2016 - 19:45
Excellent weather to visit a feeding/petting zoo. Highly recommend emirates park zoo in al shahama. .. it's a compact zoo and kids get to feed a variety of animals quite fascinating for under 5 yrs Olds.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2016 - 10:50
If apartment living is what you are used to then executive towers business bay is quite close by . Lots of families live there as well. But in any case, coming from kuwait, be ready to get shocked by the rental prices here. I've lived in kuwait a long time ago, rent was a real shocker when I first moved to uae. You'll find loads of British schools here, lots of variety and even better quality and facilities then what you have at BSK. You'll have to narrow down depending on your education allowance and where you finally choose your accomodation because school runs can be quite challenging due to traffic and school transport is quite expensive as well.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2016 - 07:57
Ikea. It goes to half it's size but it's not multiple height adjustment like a vacuum.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 February 2016 - 15:10
Rich has been closed for a long time now. Barista, where you could also have a good coffee, is gone as well. I'd advise you to go to More Cafe, upstairs close to the new cinema. Good coffee and dito ambiance. Good luck. Thanks! sad to hear about Barista. their coffee was really good. i'll check out More cafe , already been to their dubai marina mall branch.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 February 2016 - 15:05
I have one too ..bought from carrefour i guess. three gas hobs one hot plate (very useful when gas runs out in the middle of cooking) and electric oven. italian brand CANDY. not too heavy on pocket and working well.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 February 2016 - 07:56
Hi, I have been told that doctors prone C-Section in Dubai. Is that information correct? Has anyone had labour experience with Dr Jennifer Karsiky and what's her take on it. Thanks A colleague had delivered with dr jennifer twice with positive experience at both times.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 February 2016 - 07:53
If you are seeing someone in medcare. .I can almost guess her name from your post :P I would only say make healthier food choices. You can look up healthy weight gain during pregnancy guideline at babycenter.com. It gives a good idea at where you are going wrong as they have sample menu also. If your doctor is ok then you should start walking to get a bit of exercise or swimming. I saw a crazy medcare woman in the start of my pregnancy and she made me so paranoid about gaining weight in first trimester that I started loosing weight in my 4th month thats when I decided I don't need that extra stress in my life so I am not going back to her any more. I am still cutting back on sugar and treats.. eating out only once a week.. and having lots of salad or fruits with my main home cooked meals or in between and it helps. I try to walk some days also. .but my other two are keeping me quite busy already.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2016 - 19:45
Just in case you dont know..there are shops in meena bazaar which can dye fabrics for you. They might be able to give a better advice about the stain and dye color etx.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2016 - 19:01
Hope some one comes along for an exact reply. I have no experience of dying clothes myself but back home we get fabrics dyed quite regularly for ethnic dresses so from experience I can say that the oily spot would be quite unpredictable with the new color. It might pick up a lighter shade of your chosen color or turn to a darker shade depending on your fabric.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2016 - 14:08
we did these 2 years back in August i think. despite the heat it was still a good experience. there was a long drive till the dock and then a boat takes you to island , from there you board a bus which gives you sort of short tour of the area and takes you to lobby for check in. we did a lot of activities, kayaking, archery, safari. it was a nice change from your usual beach resort. at that time half of the resort was still not open so i guess more choices would be available now in terms of rooms etc. i would recommend you stay for atleast 2 nights to have a relaxing break. we stayed for 1 night only and it felt a bit rushed, especially due to long commute on all sorts of different transport.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2016 - 07:26
Thank you all. Very useful! Izzy and comp99, I totally agree. I used shock absorber before I had kids and now it no longer fits so I went looking for the same brand again. I had previously bought it in Go Sport but they no longer stock it. I searched online but couldn't find any info about current stockists in Dubai. Thanks for letting me know they're available at TKD. Sunwater, thanks for the tip re radiation risks. It hadn't even crossed my mind! I'm still debating whether its even worth getting the Fitbit for what I want to do with it. Great to know you found a perfect fit. Regarding Fitbit, dont know which one you are planning to buy but i have used fitbit Flex for a month or so. it tracked my steps and sleep (you have to manually tap it into a sleep mode before going to bed) and that was pretty much it in my case. rest all of the things i can enter manually like how much water i drank during the day or calories consumed. (which ofcourse i never did). so after a month of 24/7 wearing it's lying in my drawer. i figured my mobile can do steps counting since its always with me when i am out and about and i am not bothered about the sleep monitoring.plus the rubbery strap starts to get annoying if you wash your hands a lot like me. dont know how it would be wearing in summer.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 February 2016 - 22:12
I'll second TKD as well. The range was bit limited for sports bra but the ones they had, offered good support and was well made. lasted a long time as well.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 February 2016 - 08:41
Ideally your school fee should be as per your education allowance or somewhere near it cause there are other costs to consider like expensive uniforms, book fee and extracurricular activity costs. Most people also budget for birthday parties in a school year. Start your search by narrowing down your prefered curriculum , fee you can afford not just for now but for coming three or four years and also distance from home. School runs become very tiring because of heavy traffic.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 February 2016 - 07:31
I'm in the Yes camp, I used to do this (who knew it was an EW faux pas :P ) like wearing a striped top & jeans the same as a baby outfit. I think it's cute. However it probably only works on younger children/babies and not so much past 2 years or so. Hope that helps OP! ETA: When I was a baby there were no shops where we lived selling Western clothes so my mum used to stitch me and her matching dresses and then make a matching one for my dolly. :biggrin: CP thanks for mentioning it. It brings back nice childhood memories for me. I remember something similar regarding mom stitching up matching dresses but not sure if I got any matching dolly clothes though. Mum was too busy taking care of all four of us, all pretty much same age group.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2016 - 22:01
I have a friend who dresses her two boys in the same clothes, and they are 6 years apart in age. I cringe every time I see it. OP, its not for me, but for some other people they might like to dress the same as their children. Just out of curiosity, why no vote for dressing two boys in same clothes? Is it a fashion faux pas?
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2016 - 18:06
Well actually some would also disagree with that. (Reptilian blood line). I digress. Hahaha I have read about this - one of the most bizarre ideas floating around on the net. Can I have a link please? :thinking:
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2016 - 14:51
Both are great nurseries but very far from each other. If seashell is closer..definitely go for it. You will have enough school runs to worry about when your little one moves to big school. Have stress free time for now.
comp99
518
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2016 - 07:36
Did anyone get this email? It says it is free and permanent http://www.du.ae/personal/at-home/offers/double-speed?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2016_01_31_doublespeed_premium%20(1)&utm_content=&spMailingID=50589889&spUserID=NDE2NjEzNTM1ODcS1&spJobID=844124796&spReportId=ODQ0MTI0Nzk2S0 Yesterday i saw road side advertisements for same promotion, so it actually is true but there must be a catch.
 
 
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